Traditionally, New Zealand has been dominated by the typical nuclear family consisting of a couple and their children. This has been very true historically and there was a great expectation to marry as evidenced by the fact that in 1996 half of all men and women over the age of 15 were married. However, this nuclear family dominated society has been making a rapid shift over recent years. Childless couples as well as adults who are staying alone or with roommates are on the rise. The amount of childless couples has even begun to exceed the number of couples with children which has only ever happened before during WWII. Also on the rise is the number of single parents with children.
These trends reflect a great change in the culture of New Zealand which has always leaned towards the traditional expectancy of marriage coming with the raising of kids. These two no longer come hand in hand for many New Zealanders which indicates that their values and what they think is important has changed. So what is it that has changed their mindsets? Although there are many reasons, a few are the growing strong independence of women, financial issues, and the desire to focus on work. Just like in the USA there are all kinds of families in New Zealand. The family structure is very similar as well and so I believe it wouldn’t be too hard to adjust to life with a New Zealand family.
Community is big in traditional Maori tribes which are still prevalent in New Zealand today. These include immediate family as well as extended family in many cases. Traditionally, Maori families are called Whānau and although the meaning is similar it has some complex subtleties when compared to the term family. In Whānau roles are determined largely by age. For instance, the grandparents are expected to bring up the grandchildren with the traditional knowledge they have inherited, keep the cohesion of the family, and make sure each member knew each other. Although it used to be common to have up to three generations living in a single household, over the years this has grown to be less common. there is also a system called Whāngai by which families would give their children to another Whānau to foster in order for them to gain experience. This could last anywhere from a couple of months to years or even a permanent stay.
Sources
http://www.teara.govt.nz/en/whanau-maori-and-family/page-5
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10659951
http://www.everyculture.com/Ma-Ni/New-Zealand.html
These trends reflect a great change in the culture of New Zealand which has always leaned towards the traditional expectancy of marriage coming with the raising of kids. These two no longer come hand in hand for many New Zealanders which indicates that their values and what they think is important has changed. So what is it that has changed their mindsets? Although there are many reasons, a few are the growing strong independence of women, financial issues, and the desire to focus on work. Just like in the USA there are all kinds of families in New Zealand. The family structure is very similar as well and so I believe it wouldn’t be too hard to adjust to life with a New Zealand family.
Community is big in traditional Maori tribes which are still prevalent in New Zealand today. These include immediate family as well as extended family in many cases. Traditionally, Maori families are called Whānau and although the meaning is similar it has some complex subtleties when compared to the term family. In Whānau roles are determined largely by age. For instance, the grandparents are expected to bring up the grandchildren with the traditional knowledge they have inherited, keep the cohesion of the family, and make sure each member knew each other. Although it used to be common to have up to three generations living in a single household, over the years this has grown to be less common. there is also a system called Whāngai by which families would give their children to another Whānau to foster in order for them to gain experience. This could last anywhere from a couple of months to years or even a permanent stay.
Sources
http://www.teara.govt.nz/en/whanau-maori-and-family/page-5
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10659951
http://www.everyculture.com/Ma-Ni/New-Zealand.html